I’m a giver. Always have been. Programmed into my brain. Don’t know if it was nature or nurture that made me this way.

If my id had its way I’d be dead. I’d give my life blood to everyone. I’d empathize with anyone who needed it. I would have volunteered my life away to someone who didn’t care, or just needed me for a moment.

I’d be in a dead end job somewhere, broken and alone. I’d be with friends who ‘made me happy’ but just needed a shoulder to cry on and leave when it was convenient. I’d be manipulated by ‘people who love me’ just to fulfill their whims.

I’d definitely be a different person if my id had its way. I would be outwardly happier. Internally… numb with no self-awareness. I’m sure I’d be better liked… but I don’t think I’d ever like myself.

So what were my hardest decisions? When I had to decide me over you. It killed me inside every time… because I’ve been brainwashed to tell myself that it’s selfish to choose me.

But once I started choosing me… I understood why the people around me are ‘selfish’. They weren’t idiots like me, one’s willing to kill themselves to make everyone else around them happy.

Narcissism is a touchy subject for me because I’m very familiar with it. I’ve seen it at it’s mildest and at its worst form. I’ve seen tendencies within myself and within other people.

And the center of it all is our deep rooted insecurities. We want the validation that we’re not as bad as our deepest insecurities paint us to be. People with narcissistic traits want to protect themselves with their ego.